Santiago Chriatian School or IS of Sosua?

Hello expat friends,

Does anyone have intel on the Santiago Christian School or the IS of Sosua? My family and I are planning to move to the DR from Minnesota, US. I'm currently trying to decide if the International School of Sosua or the Santiago Christian School would be best for my three kids (7, 3, 2)? I'm looking for comparable education to what we get in our public schools here in Minnesota and defenately English instruction to alleviate a little of the culture shock I anticipate my kids will feel.

Neither school provides tuition info on their web pages so I emailed both but haven't gotten a response yet and I'm antsy to find out more so I can continue to plan. :)

Thanks for any input.

Bruno

I can only comment on the ISS in Soaua.  It has a very good reputation with most kids going on to college.  It has students from all over the world attending and classes are for the most part in English.  Your kids will also learn Spanish and French at this school.  It is not cheap and if they do not respond to you email in the next day or so it would be worth a call.

Living in the Sosua/Cabarete area will certainly be nicer for you and the kids rather than in the larger (big city) of Santiago which will be over an hour to the beaches.

Bob K

Hello Bob,

Thank you so much for the insight and recommendation on the call to the school. My wife and I are defenately leaning more towards Sosua since it is much closer to the beach and the school looks awesome.

Say, you wouldn't happen to know when the school year starts at ISS would you? I'm working hard on all the logistics so my oldest son (7yrs old now, would be 8 by the 2018-2019 school year) can have as much of a "smooth" transition into a new school as possible.

Again, thank you so much for your insight.

Bruno

All schools either public or private run on the same schedule. I believe school will start in August (usually the third week or so)

And yes Ssoua is on the beach!

I answered your other post and suggest you move it to this forum as well
Bob K

School starts about the middle of Aug but the uniforms, books and all that need purchasing before. 

Housing in that area will likely be more expensive than Santiago. But likely a worthwhile tradeoff!!!

Do not worry about your kids making the change. The adapt with much greater facility fo change than adults do. They will learn other languages faster then you can imagine.  Sosua is right on a 1/2 mile beach & within minutes of many others.  Come & explore the options available to your family,  You can find reasonable housing here.  As everyone constantly states: boots on the ground. Preparing for a new adventure is an adventure in itself.  The school is top notch quality.  Welcome & good fortune to you.

Thank you all so so much - Bob, Planner and Tinker.

My wife and I are so excited about the possibilities and are working hard to square it all away. We plan on renting a 3 bedroom, likely in Sosua or Puerto Plata to get started, then with more time look for the right place to buy.

We'll likely also need to buy a car once we arrive there so we can move around but I'll have to cross that bridge when I get there. :)

This is scary to plan and think through but you all's info and support is encouraging and appreciated.

Thanks again,
Bruno

Remember if you are thinking about the IS school it will be a 30 min or more commute for the kids twice a day every day if you are living in Puerto Plata.  There are no "school transportation" provided.